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HomeDeveloper UtilitiesGitHub Actions Visualizer

Example: GitHub Actions Visualizer

A worked example, rendered from real sample data. Sign in to run the tool on your own input.

Input
name: CI
on: [push, pull_request]
jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
      - run: npm ci
      - run: npm test
  build:
    needs: test
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - run: npm run build
  deploy:
    needs: build
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
    steps:
      - run: echo deploying
Output
Workflow: CI
Jobs: 3 (3 after matrix expansion) · Steps: 7 · Stages: 3

When it runs
  • A push starts this workflow.
  • A pull request starts this workflow.

Job graph
  Stage 1: test
  Stage 2: build
      build ← test
  Stage 3: deploy
      deploy ← build

Job: test
  runs-on: ubuntu-latest
  timeout: not set (defaults to 360 minutes)
  steps (4):
    1. actions/checkout  [actions/checkout@v4 — tag]
    2. actions/setup-node  [actions/setup-node@v4 — tag]
    3. npm ci
    4. npm test

Job: build
  runs-on: ubuntu-latest
  needs: test
  timeout: not set (defaults to 360 minutes)
  steps (2):
    1. actions/checkout  [actions/checkout@v4 — tag]
    2. npm run build

Job: deploy
  runs-on: ubuntu-latest
  needs: build
  if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
  timeout: not set (defaults to 360 minutes)
  steps (1):
    1. echo deploying

Permissions: not set (repository default)
Concurrency: not set
Secrets referenced: none
Caching: none

Findings (0 error, 4 warning, 5 info)
  [warning] No top-level permissions block
      Without it the workflow inherits the repository default, which is often read/write on everything. Add `permissions: contents: read` and widen per job.
  [info] No concurrency group
      Pushes in quick succession will run overlapping workflows. Add a `concurrency` group with `cancel-in-progress: true`.
  [warning] No timeout-minutes (test)
      A stuck job burns up to 6 hours of runner time. Set `timeout-minutes` to something realistic.
  [info] actions/checkout@v4 is pinned by tag, not by SHA (test › actions/checkout)
      First-party actions are low
…

About GitHub Actions Visualizer

GitHub Actions Visualizer preview - Developer Utilities tool

Parse a GitHub Actions workflow and show job/step dependencies. Part of the DevTools Surf developer suite. Browse more tools in the Developer Utilities collection.

Use Cases

  • DevOps engineers debugging slow CI/CD pipeline bottlenecks
  • Team leads reviewing workflow PRs for dependency correctness
  • Platform engineers optimizing parallel job execution
  • New contributors understanding complex multi-job workflows

Tips

  • Collapse long workflows to focus on failing jobs
  • Check for circular dependencies between job steps
  • Use the graph view to spot parallelizable jobs

Fun Facts

  • GitHub Actions launched in October 2018 and became generally available in November 2019, quickly becoming the most popular CI/CD platform on GitHub.
  • A single GitHub Actions workflow can contain up to 256 jobs, and each job can run up to 1,000 API requests per hour.
  • The 'needs' keyword in GitHub Actions was inspired by Makefile dependency graphs, a concept dating back to Stuart Feldman's 1976 Make utility at Bell Labs.

FAQ

What does it show?
Jobs, their dependencies (needs:), steps per job, and execution order. Helps you spot sequential bottlenecks and parallelization opportunities.
Can I see estimated runtime?
Parse-only — no runtime estimates. For timing, use GitHub's own workflow execution UI or a profiling action.
Does it validate the YAML?
Basic schema checks: required fields (jobs, runs-on, steps), recognized action references, secret usage. Deeper validation via actionlint CLI.
What about matrix strategies?
Yes — matrix jobs are expanded into their concrete instances (os × node-version × etc.) so you see the full execution graph.

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